Microsoft started sending invites yesterday for its Windows 8 event at Mobile World Congress. It’s a consumer preview event where Microsoft will give a detailed peek on the upcoming Windows 8 OS and most likely release the consumer-centric preview version to the masses.

Interesting thing about the event is the venue that confirms Microsoft’s focus for its Windows 8 OS.

The event will take place in Barcelona on February 29 from 3-5PM.

[Via The Next Web]

Samsung’s newly created category of phone / tablet will soon get a competitor from its archrival, LG Electronics. The Korean company is teasing a 5-inch smartphone / tablet device dubbed as Optimus Vu with an expected showcase at Mobile World Congress later this month.

While LG isn’t forthcoming with all the details, Engadget claims the phone will have a display with an aspect ratio of 4:3, a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, NFC, 8MP camera and Android 2.3.

LG Blog

Bad news for users waiting for the first glimpse of Samsung’s power packed Galaxy S III device at MWC. The Korean company has confirmed that they won’t announce the Galaxy S III at Mobile World Congress later this month. Instead, the company is planning to host a dedicated event sometime before the first half of this year.

The move isn’t a surprise since Samsung was basically sitting on the fence regarding Galaxy S III’s launch a few days back. Good thing with the late announcement will be that consumers can expect the device to come to market early.

“Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012. The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product. Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world.”

[Tech Radar via Sammy Hub]

A rumor from yesterday suggested that Samsung will not show its Galaxy S III device at upcoming Mobile World Congress. Now an official statement during an earnings call says that they’re “reviewing” launch options for the flagship device.

This does not mean Samsung won’t show the device at next month’s mobile expo but considering the fact that the expo is exactly a month away and Samsung is yet to determine the launch date, the announcement looks a bit unlikely.

Samsung is apparently pushing the date to shorten the gap between the launch of an international and US variant.

[Via SammyHub]

Motorola has confirmed pricing of its first Android-based tablet for Verizon. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha announced that the Xoom tablet with 3G and Wi-Fi will cost consumers $799 whereas the Wi-Fi only version will be $200 cheaper or $600 to be exact.

Xoom is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor and is one of the first tablets to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS.

Other features include a 10.1-inch touchscreen display, full HD playback, HDMI-out, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front-facing camera and 3G.

[Via Reuters]

Tegra 2-powered devices may rule this year’s Mobile World Congress but the day isn’t far enough where this dual-core baby will be obsolete. At the MWC, Nvidia showcased its next-generation Tegra platform which is dubbed as Project Kal-El. The chip will be the world’s first quad-core mobile processor and was demonstrated in an Android tablet that was able to browse the web, run games and even stream HD videos.

Some interesting facts about the new SoC are that it will take the resolution support beyond full HD (2560×1600 pixels, 1440p), increase the display DPI to up to 300 and features 12 GeForce GPU cores to handle intensive graphics. In short, Kal-El-based Tegra will be 5 times superior to current breed of Tegra processors. New Tegra SoC is currently being sampled and production is slated for August.

Additionally, Nvidia also threw some light on its Tegra roadmap and according to it, Nvidia will follow a yearly-release schedule for new Tegra chips. Wayne, Logan and Stark are expected in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively with Stark touting to be 75x better than Tegra 2.

[Via Nvidia]

Both phones come with a dedicated Facebook button that is said to be context-aware that blinks when something can be shared with your friends.

On the specs front, ChaCha is HTC’s first few phones to sport a physical QWERTY keyboard in a candybar form factor. Running the latest Android 2.3.3, the phone features a 2.6-inch touschreen HVGA display, 600MHz CPU with 512MB RAM, Sense UI, 5MP camera with LED flash, VGA camers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microSD card slot and 1250mAh battery.

Salsa on the other hand is a Legend-esque phone targeted at Facebook enthusiasts with Android 2.3.3 onboard, 600MHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 3G support, 5MP camera with LED flash, VGA camers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microSD card slot and 1520mAh battery.

Europe and Asia will get these phones in Q2 of this year whereas HTC plans to bring it to United States exclusively via AT&T.

HTC has refreshed its current Android range with the unveiling of three new devices – Wildfire S, Desire S and Incredible S. Wildfire S brings the same user-friendliness of the original Wildfire but in a smaller package, making it one of the smallest HTC phones.

The specs are decent for a mid-range Android phone with a 600MHz CPU, 512MB RAM/ROM, HTC Sense UI, 3.2-inch display (320×480), 5MP camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and microSD card slot.

The Desire S has got a major facelift in the form of a unibody construction inspired by HTC Legend and comes with 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 3.7-inch WVGA display, 768GB RAM, 1.1GB internal storage, 5MP rear camera, 720p HD video recording, VGA front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, microSD card slot and 1450mAh battery.

Incredible S is the pick of the lot that features a nice 4-inch WVGA screen, 1GHz CPU, 768GB RAM, 1.1GB internal storage, 8MP main camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, 1.3MP front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microSD card slot and 1450mAh battery.

All the phones will be available in Europe and Asia from Q2 2011.

HTC has become the latest company to enter the tablet market with Flyer. Flyer is based on Android 2.4 and brings in lots of interesting features that will help the Taiwanese company differentiate from the rest of the tablet crowd.

Flyer is housed in an unibody aluminum shell and features Qualcomm 1.5GHz processor, 7-inch display with WSVGA resolution support, an all-new HTC Sense UI designed for tablets, 1GB RAM, HSPA+ support, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, 5MP main camera, 1.3MP on the front, GPS, 32GB internal storage with microSD card slot and 4000mAh battery.

Few differentiating things include support of a stylus that helps to take notes, draw on the tablet and can be coupled with Timemark feature to record audio with the notes; HTC Watch – a video download service; and cloud-based gaming service with OnLive.

HTC Flyer will launch in Q2 2011.

Wave 578 is Samsung’s newest addition to its bada-powered Wave family. The bada handset has been announced at the Mobile World Congress 2011 and the phone’s claim to fame is the integration of Near Field Communication (NFC) chip. NFC allows users to initiate making contactless payment along with using other services like door lock/unlock etc.

President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business JK Shin said, “With the Samsung Wave 578 handset, we will provide the latest innovation in mobile industry running on bada platform. The enhanced connectivity, design and social experiences enabled by this handset, represent Samsung’s commitment to democratizing the smart phone market and providing users around the world with access to rich experiences and content.”

The phone has a 3.2-inch WQVGA display, Social Hub, 3.2MP camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and front facing camera for video calls.

Samsung Wave 578 will be available in May of 2011 in France and will progressively be brought in European countries, CIS, South East Asia, India, Middle East, and China.

You can check out detailed specifications of the device here.